Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Review: Café de Flore

Café de Flore

Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée

Country: Canada/France

Aus Rating: MA15+

Running Time: 120mins

This uniquely compelling tale of lives torn apart by seemingly pre-ordained destiny comes from one of Canada’s most promised directors, Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria). Café de Flore, so named after the popular song that is frequently used throughout the film, follows two parallel narratives that act as mirrors to one another and form a sort of mysterious tragedy of the soul. In the first we find a mother, Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis in her “Canadian Oscar” winning role), taking care of her mentally handicapped child in the 1960s. The second sees globetrotting DJ Antoine (musician Kevin Parent in his film debut) as his marriage falls apart under the influence of a new woman in his life. Where the two converge is a secret that hasn’t even been entirely solved by the end credits, but it’s a fascinating one based on ambiguous ideas of identity and what it exactly means to be in love. Café de Flore very much floored me and its enigmatic charm continued to weasel its way into my mind long after it was over.

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